Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has for the first time openly shared his feelings regarding his prolonged exclusion from the selection squad for ODI matches. Pant admitted that being out of the team causes a feeling of disappointment, but he emphasized that such ups and downs are an integral part of a player's sporting career.
He noted that when something like this happens to a player, people tend to voice their opinions. Nevertheless, in his view, the athlete should focus on their own hard work and clarity of goals. Pant believes that after any failure, there is always an opportunity to return.
In the Business of Sport podcast, Pant stated: 'Of course, when this happens, it is unpleasant. But the mindset of an athlete makes you understand that if failure occurs, there is always a chance to come back. As an athlete, you face such things in daily life. People say they had one thing happen, and I have another, but for an athlete, it is just part of the game. Moreover, you know how hard you work, and your path to maintaining that level is absolutely clear.'
Pant last played an ODI match for the Indian team on August 7, 2024. Since then, he has been an important part of the team in Tests, but his place in the ODI squad remained constantly in question. In 31 ODIs, Pant scored 871 runs, including an unbeaten record score of 125*.
When the Indian team was announced for the three-match ODI series against West Indies, Pant was once again left out of the squad. Although being appointed captain of the 'Rest of India' team for the Iran Cup match might have been a small relief, Pant still wishes to play ODIs for India.
In Pant's absence, Kell Rahul has strengthened his position as a wicketkeeper-batsman, and Ishan Kishan also remains one of the options in the ODI squad. Furthermore, Dhruv Jurel also gets a chance to be included in the team.
For Pant, the task is complicated by the fact that there are many alternatives in the role of wicketkeeper-batsman in the Indian team. Despite this, Pant clearly stated that he views this situation as part of a player's career and will continue to work towards a comeback.